Mai vs Sonja
Mai and Sonjacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Mai was ranked #443 and Sonja #35 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2012, Mai was ranked #510 and Sonja #907 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2020, Mai was ranked #2615 and Sonja #3899 among girls in England and Wales.
Mai and Sonja over time
Mai and Sonja appear together in 2 published lists, across 96 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Mai and Sonja changed places 14 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #443 and #35.
- Longest-running competitions
Mai and Sonja were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 75 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #443 and #35.
List by list
Norway · Girls75 shared years, 1945–2025
Mai held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Sonja in 64.
Highest recorded here: Mai #94 in 1961, Sonja #35 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Mai #443, Sonja #35.
England and Wales · Girls21 shared years, 1996–2020
Mai held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Sonja in 1.
Highest recorded here: Mai #845 in 2008, Sonja #1970 in 1999.
The order changed in 1997: Mai moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #2350 and #2096; by 1997 that had become #1543 and #3174.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Mai #2615, Sonja #3899.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Mai | Sonja |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #443 (2025) | Norway · Girls #35 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Mai has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Sonja.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Mai
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #182 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #94 among girls in Norway, in 1961 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #443 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Sonja
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #44 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #35 among girls in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #35 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls